Investigating Electricity: Building circuits in Elementary Science class

This activity is designed for students to see a complete series circuit with two light bulbs, and compare it to a parallel circuit.

Vocabulary:

-Circuit

-Series

-Parallel

-Power source

-Current

-Closed vs. Open circuits

This is an in-class exploration activity for upper-elementary students. It requires batteries, light bulbs and electrical wires for each student group, and is not easily adaptable to another setting.

Students will be given a battery, two wires, and a light bulb, and asked to make the light bulb light. When they have successfully completed that task, they will be given a second light bulb and another wire to add to their circuit, and asked to observe any changes to the light when it is added. Then, they will remove one light bulb from it's socket and observe what happens.

Then they will replace the bulb and be given another wire to create a parallel circuit. They will observe any changes to the lights, and what happens when a bulb is removed from this configuration.

It is important for students to experience this activity rather than just observe it. In the past, we have modeled this to students, or told them what would happen before it happens. The true nature of this activity is to let them make the discoveries in the guided inquiry model in order to engage their thinking.

Students will be asked to draw a model of both a parallel and series circuit, and explain the drawbacks and advantages of each.

4.II.C.1 Simple Circuits